Mercury Racing

[Dave Hensley]

Well, just heard from a reliable source Mother Merc has just produced it's last batch of 18 280 long blocks. If it is true, and I think it is, that is sad. Don't know if the S3000 is still available and was wondering if it was a single ring piston motor?

 

[LakeAnna]

Dave is this the part # for the long block 848040t40?

Yes it is very sad!

 

[racerx]

Mercury Racing is gone and that's really a sad deal been around this a long long time and hate to see it go, it was bad when you no longer seen them at Jasper with the big truck..

 

[suicidealli]

They sent the last 25 blocks for plating about 3 months ago.

Roy

 

[Waterboy334]

Would be nice if they aren't going to make them any longer that they would sell the patents and etc to someone else to make them.

 

[Dave Hensley]

They had to make replacement parts for 9 years. 2005-2014. Math caught up with the little motors. Is the mythical 200xs ros a cast iron sleeve motor? I assumed it was. The Mercury plated blocks were junk in my opinion after they came back state side to be plated. The German nikasil was very nice. Best domestic plating I have seen was Millenium. Mercury kept trying to get rings that would last but the problem I saw was in the surface finish of the plating. They just kept usingthe same vendor and got rich off selling rings, pistons, cranks and rods.

 

[michael j giesler]

I hope Brunswick changes there mind about production of our little 2.5 but with the big block offshore motors selling like hot cakes I don't think so maybe we need to start a petition just a thought but the end is very close very sad

 

[Dave Hensley]

I agree Michael. The performance motors fell victim to the accountants after the 260 was introduced. Quality suffered. Low cost vendor vs the best parts available hurt the motors. Think about those first motors with German Nik and Mahle pistons. Seemed to me that they lost their pride over a few dollars. Replacement parts were just ridiculous. They acted like they were some small, one off race shop instead of a huge conglomerate that mass produced product. They could afford operating the race division at breakeven but they wanted to gouge their most loyal customers.

 

[reward69]

Bean counters and wall street will be the death of the America we've known..... GREED!!!

 

[michael j giesler]

The sad part is my dad said poor Mr.Karl K is probably looking down from above and shaking his head racing was #1 profits come later

 

[Dave Hensley]

Not in this day and time. We have educated folks that can't create anything who can spin an illusion of profits by devious, short term math.

 

[patches]

They won't sell off the tooling. Once they're done the tooling to produce the blocks will be destroyed

 

[patches]

Luckily, many parts are produced in the aftermarket. Blocks are a possibility down the road

 

[Alli-drenaline Rush]

I don't have precise information about the timing of the sale, but Mercury Racings' fate was sealed the day the Kiekhaefer family sold out to Brunswick. The big, bad evil corporation will do what it must do to survive, which is generate a return on investment for its shareholder. Can't blame it for cutting losses on what became a boutique segment of the business (i.e. a shrinking customer base unwilling to pay the prices needed for that segment to stay viable).

Plenty of targets available to point fingers at.... The customer who wants a dollar song for a nickel, the Kiekhaefer family who want to monetize dads/grandpas vision, and Brunswick who want to turn a reputation into cash.

The first generation makes it, the second generation enjoys it, and the third generation blows it.....

 

[Dave Hensley]

Profits are great. Successful corporations, especially manufacturing concerns, are the engine that drives the economy. Price gouging, highway robbery is a different story. Take a tour through the parts list for a performance motor and check out the $16, 2-1/2" long powerhead stud. I was looking at a 12" can for a build I have going on and found a dowel sleeve for that can, $113. C'mon man! The good thing is that creative folks are cranking up and producing aftermarket pieces that are lighter and less costly. Ahhhh, capitalism, gotta love it.


Check it out:

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/Show_pictures3.asp?dnbr=849864R 1&ivar=IMAGES/HIPERF/849864R.1/14.png&inbr=2728&bnbr=16&bdesc=DRIVESHAFT+HOUSING

 

[Alli-drenaline Rush]

I hear ya Dave. I just paid $300 for a kit to read EGTs on my 2.5. $90 for a rifle-drilled bolt is highway robbery, but where there's a will, there's a way!

And there are no pockets in a shroud!

 

[Dave Hensley]

Wish I had known. Had a couple of sets.

 

[Taterchip]

I just wonder with all the CNC technology, how long will it be before someone builds a billet block with a plain bearing crank with a MOTEC ECM? I realize this would be expensive, but it would be bad ***.

 

[2fast4mom]

I really disagree with the naysayers at Mercury and the other companies who claim there isn't a large enough market for the smaller, lighter engines like the 2.5. How many thousands of perfectly great boats 20 feet or so in length are out there, with blown, tired, or obsolete motors?

Whoever postulated this has rectal/cranial inversion. I've half a mind to CNC clone a 2.5 block and/or bring more modern technology to the production process just because "they" say it can't be done...

It might be possible to produce a modular 2.5 "kit" that skirts the draconian EPA ridiculous laws.

"Can't" means "Won't" and you are never a failure until you GIVE UP!

 

[Dave Hensley]

I really disagree with the naysayers at Mercury and the other companies who claim there isn't a large enough market for the smaller, lighter engines like the 2.5. How many thousands of perfectly great boats 20 feet or so in length are out there, with blown, tired, or obsolete motors?

Whoever postulated this has rectal/cranial inversion. I've half a mind to CNC clone a 2.5 block and/or bring more modern technology to the production process just because "they" say it can't be done...

It might be possible to produce a modular 2.5 "kit" that skirts the draconian EPA ridiculous laws.

"Can't" means "Won't" and you are never a failure until you GIVE UP!

Could not agree more. Might as well cast the block to keep cost down. Billet heads and accessories. Just sold my 2008 XB2002 and the guy would have bought a 200XS for it in a heartbeat. I bet Fast Eddie would have bought one for his new XB2002. Need an answer other than Brunswick. Bombardier should have their $.02 in the mix also.